I was 11 the first time I watched Star Wars. After we finished the series, I couldn't get enough. I bought toys, I read the Star Wars encyclopedia cover to cover, I threw a three day long marathon party complete with costume contest, trivia competition, and rooms decorated as different planets. I was blown away by the entire galaxy that had been created, and I longed to be a part of it. I started reading the extended book series, wanting more, needing more. I quickly decided that I liked the stories occurring before A New Hope, but I quite disliked the stories set after Return of the Jedi. There was too much death, too much drama, and not enough fantasy for my pre-teen self. So, I took the only logical next step. I began writing my own series. It was my first foray into "fanfiction", before I even knew that that was something people did. In my story I was the daughter of Han Solo and Princess Leia. Han was my favorite character in the movies, (11 year old boy-obsessed girls tend to like the rogue-ish types), but I had this insane respect for Leia’s that I didn’t even recognize at the time. In my story she was the leader of the entire Republic, Han and Luke’s boss, and the glue that basically held the entire governmental system together, as well as being a loving and caring mother and confidant. If I was writing the story at age 22, this wouldn’t be surprising, but as a kid I had romanticized the damsel in distress trope, (evident in how many times my self-insert character had to be rescued by her handsome but doomed-to-never-be Romeo-type true love.) But even as a stupid kid, I knew Leia’s character would never fit in that box. Carrie Fisher brought to life this character that didn’t back down, that rescued herself, and that led with courage, dignity, and a wonderfully quick wit, and Carrie Fisher’s Leia was exactly the role model I needed onscreen, even though I didn’t know it. The older I got, the more I grew to respect Carrie Fisher. She had lived such a hard life, but she never backed down in the real world either. She was loud and outspoken and witty and crass, and she worked incredibly hard to be a role model, even though she wasn’t perfect. She became a role model BECAUSE she wasn’t perfect. At 21 I finally got to see MY Leia onscreen, not Princess Leia, but General Leia, respected and loved while also being female. Carrie did a lot of good in her life, whether it was raising awareness for mental health, or script doctoring to create better female characters, or just being an all-around loved and hilarious person, and even though I’ve never met her I will miss her dearly. #RIPCarrie
I don’t know how old I was when I told my grandma I had never seen Singin In the Rain, but I know that my grandma immediately had us watch it. It was an old movie to me then, glitz and glam, and the plot was about something that had happened long before I was born, but I’ll never forget how much fun I had watching everyone dance and twirl around with my grandma seated beside me. My grandma loves old movies. She enjoys good love stories and musicals and occasionally enjoys RED 2 if the whole family watches it with her. She was a mathematician for NASA and helped build the nose cone for the first space shuttle, and then she taught high school English. Weirdly, I think her legacy will be the second one. Past students are constantly asking my mom how Ms. Peggy is doing now, and reiterating what an amazing teacher my grandma was and how much passion she had for the subject and for her students. My grandma is an incredible woman. She raised two kids after her husband passed away, she loves to play Solitaire on her computer, and she’s constantly giving me books because she knows I’ll love them as much as she does. Debbie Reynolds wasn’t as much a part of my life as Carrie Fisher was, but Debbie Reynolds reminds me to be thankful for who I have. She helped me form a bond with one of my real-life role models. Debbie too, did a lot of good in her life. She was also an outspoken advocate for mental health. She shaped a future generation of actors and acresses. She passed away having formed a loving relationship with both her daughter and granddaughter. She was an inspiration, and even though I’ve never met her, I will miss her dearly. #RIPDebbie
